Amazon has been loathe to offer many specials on its Kindle tablets, save for the Fire HD 8.9". During the holiday season, the online retailer knocked $50 off its price for a single day, and now it's ushering in 2013 with a similar deal for a select group of customers.

For the entire month of January, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" is $50 cheaper for students with a membership to Amazon Prime. (Students can get a discounted Prime membership -- normally $79 annually -- if they have an email account from an .edu domain.) Unfortunately for the rest of the populace, the Kindle with the largest screen remains at a starting price of $299.